Prospective Ph.D. Students Computer Science Track

Looking to start a ph.d. RESEARCHING computing systems or high performance computing?

The High Performance Computing and Systems (HPCS) Lab is recruiting multiple Ph.D. students. We are a federated lab made up of four faculty in the Computer Science department at UNC Charlotte. If you are interested in pursuing study of large-scale computing systems, such as Supercomputers or Data Centers, or you’re interested in low-level systems technologies, like Operating Systems, Virtual Memory, and Compilers, keep reading!

High-Performance Computing is ubiquitous in modern technology, acting as the backbone for large-scale software systems worldwide. Your favorite large-language models, search engines, scientific research, financial systems, social media, and more run on top of high-performance computing systems. It has never been more critical to have experts in performance and computing systems pushing the boundary of capability for large-scale systems.

Not interested in large-scale systems, but prefer digging deep into problems in systems software, like operating systems or compilers? Interested in creating new compression algorithms or redesigning the way we manage memory for complex systems? We do that too! These technologies form the critical cyberinfrastructure that the modern world runs on, and are critical to the usability and efficiency of these systems.

We are actively pursuing multiple new Ph.D. students for our program. Eligible students will meet the admissions requirements for the Ph.D. program in the Computer Science Track, have a strong desire to solve new problems in cutting-edge technology, and be expected to have skills or coursework in:

• C/C++ or other Low-Level Programming Languages
• Basic Linux Operating Systems Skills
• Scripting in languages like Bash or Python
• Basic Understanding of Computer Systems, including Computer Organization, Operating Systems, Networking, and File Systems

Faculty & Research

The High Performance Computing Systems lab has four primary faculty conducting active research. The lab conducts research on a broad range of high performance computing and systems topics, including: Performance Analysis & Optimization, Runtime Systems, Compilers, Heterogeneous Systems, GPU Optimization, Graph Algorithms, IO and Parallel File systems, Compression and Lossy Compression for Scientific Data, and more! Visit their individual web pages below to learn more. Please feel free to contact any of our faculty by email if you have questions or would like to arrange to have a remote conversation with one of our current Ph.D. students. Also, check out our recent publications!

Applications and student packages

The priority application deadline for Ph.D. students looking for Fall admission is mid-December. Non-priority applications are accepted through March. Students admitted into the Ph.D. program typically receive a standard package of approximately $23.6k stipend over 9 months plus tuition (some fees still apply). Generally, costs such as conference travel, are funded by the faculty and/or department for students in good standing. Summer support is available on a case-by-case basis determined by you and your advisor. Students are often encouraged to spend summers in an internship at a national laboratory or industry to broaden their experiences and forge professional connections. Here is a list of useful links:

• Apply Today!
• “How To Apply” from the CS Department
• Ph.D. Program Requirements and Admissions Deadlines
• Standard Student Assistantship Packages

Campus & Facilities

UNC Charlotte and the HPCS Lab have a wide arrangement of cutting-edge high-performance computing equipment for students to leverage in their research. University Research Computing provides access to the Orion Cluster, an advanced computing cluster containing NVIDIA Ampere GPUs and a variety of other resources. Additionally, the HPCS lab has brand new Hopper GPUs and Grace-Hopper systems from NVIDIA. Each Ph.D. student is provided a lab space and workstation appropriate for conducting research.

UNC Charlotte has a large and beautiful campus with state-of-the-art facilities, located about 20 minutes from Uptown Charlotte by light rail or car. You can learn more about the campus by visiting the Campus Life Web Page.